Referendum on the status of Puerto Rico in 2012
On November 6, 2012, a referendum took place in Puerto Rico on the political status of the area. The vote took place at the same time as the US presidential election , the election to the House of Representatives and gubernatorial elections in eleven US states . Similar referendums have already been held several times. In the previous three referendums, the voters were in favor of the status quo, which states that the island is a non- incorporated area of the United States of America and is therefore neither a separate US state nor one of the 50 US states.
In the 2012 referendum, 53.99% of voters voted for a change in status. 61.15% of voters voted for a state in the event of a status change. However, around half a million voters did not answer the questions about the referendum.
On December 11, 2012, the Puerto Rico government petitioned the Washington government on behalf of the electorate with the aim of making the island a separate US state .
In the event that the US Congress does not take the non-binding result of the referendum as an opportunity to make Puerto Rico the 51st state, the (non-voting) delegate of Puerto Rico in the US House of Representatives, Pedro Pierluisi , submitted on May 15 2013 passed a resolution in the House of Representatives. The Puerto Rico Status Resolution Act provides for a referendum with binding effect on the responsible US institutions (unlike the non-binding referendum 2012) in Puerto Rico. The sole and unequivocal question of this survey is whether Puerto Rico should become a state. The prospect that the US Congress will make Puerto Rico the 51st state as a direct result of the 2012 referendum remains unaffected by this parallel initiative.
A new referendum was held on June 11, 2017. In the non-binding referendum, around 97 percent were in favor of the US outer territory, which also includes the Spanish Virgin Islands , becoming a fully fledged US state. However, because of a boycott by the opposition, the turnout was only around 23 percent of the total of 2.3 million eligible voters.
background
Similar referendums have already taken place several times, for example in 1967, 1993 and 1998. In the previous three referendums, the citizens of Puerto Rico (with 60.4%, 48.6% and 50.5%) were in favor of the status quo.
In June 2011, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization called on the United States to advance the process of self-determination over Puerto Rico's political status.
Unlike other areas of the United States such as Guam , American Samoa or the US Virgin Islands , Puerto Rico is not on the list of non-self-governing areas of the United Nations. Even so, it is not a state and its citizens do not have the right to full representation in the US Congress. All people born on the island are automatically citizens of the United States. However, if they reside in Puerto Rico at the time of the election, they will not be eligible to vote in the US presidential election.
On December 28, 2011, Governor Luis Fortuño authorized the referendum planned for November 6, 2012.
Referendum questions
The referendum itself consisted of two independent questions. The voters were asked whether they would like to allow the status quo to continue. The second question asked about the citizens' preference for a future alternative status. Voters had three possible answers: they can vote that the island should become a US state, that full independence should be sought, or that free association with the United States should be sought.
Election result
| Option | Votes cast | % |
|---|---|---|
| Question: Do you agree to keep your current political status? (¿De acuerdo con mantener la condición política territorial actual?) |
||
| Yes | 796.007 | 46.01 |
| No | 934.238 | 53.99 |
| Valid votes | 1,730,245 | 95.75 |
| Empty voices | 64.123 | 3.55 |
| Invalid votes | 12,720 | 0.70 |
| total | 1,807,088 | 100 |
| Option | Votes cast | % |
|---|---|---|
| State (Estadidad) | 802.179 | 61.15 |
| Independence (Independencia) | 72,551 | 5.53 |
| Free Association (ELA Soberano) | 436.997 | 33.31 |
| Empty voices | 468.478 | - |
| Invalid votes | 17.602 | - |
| total | 1,797,807 | 100 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b "Puerto Rico Status Referendum is Historic" Jurist
- ↑ Ben Fox and Danica Coto: Puerto Rico vote endorses statehood with asterisk. In: Associated Press. Mercury News, November 7, 2012, accessed November 8, 2012 .
- ↑ Puerto Rican government asks the responsible US authorities to grant state status' ( Memento of February 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive ); Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ↑ Cynthia Osterman: Bill in US Congress seeks vote on Puerto Rican statehood. Reuters , May 15, 2012, accessed December 30, 2013 .
- ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Puerto Rico wants to become US state No. 51 | Currently America | DW | 06/11/2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017 .
- ↑ Puerto Rico State Electoral Commission: Official Results for the 1967 Political-Status Plebiscite. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ↑ Puerto Rico State Electoral Commission: Official Results for the 1993 Political-Status Plebiscite. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ↑ http://eleccionespuertorico.org/cgi-bin/eventos.cgi?evento=1998
- ↑ Special Committee on Decolonization Calls on United States, in Consensus Text, to Speed up Process Allowing Puerto Rico to Exercise Self-Determination: Nearly 25 Petitioners Underscore Gravity of Situation on Island, Buckling Under Economic Strain; Vigorous Opposition to Death Penalty Also Expressed. June 20, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
- ↑ United Nations: Non-Self-Governing Territories . Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- ↑ Puerto Rico approves political status referendum Yahoo News, December 29, 2011.
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated November 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
